Queuing practice

[Guest guest]

By Nick Mulvenney

Wed Feb 7, 6:23 AM ET

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - The 11th of every month in Beijing is to

be " voluntarily wait in line " day as the city attempts to eradicate

queue-jumping before next year's Olympics, a city official said on

Wednesday.

 

Orderly queues are a rare sight in a city which is also hard at work

trying to put an end to spitting and littering and present a

more " civilised " face to the world in 2008.

 

" The reason for establishing such a day is to mobilise the Beijing

population to ensure that where there are more than two people, they

should wait in line, " said Zhang Huiguang, director of the Capital

Ethic Development Office.

 

" We are hoping to enlist all the citizens of Beijing to be

missionaries of civilisation, " she added.

 

The campaign will be launched in the fashionable Wangfujing shopping

district on Sunday under the slogan, " It's civilised to queue, it's

glorious to be polite " .

 

A range of measures include enlisting the support of the media,

education campaigns, the use of model citizens,

legislation, " punishment and reward schemes " as well as a slogan for

each city district.

 

The western district of Xicheng has " Voluntarily wait in line, be

polite and put other people first " , central Dongcheng has " I care

about and participate in the Olympics and set an example by queuing "

while northwestern Haidian has simply " I am a member of the queue " .

 

The existing campaigns against littering and spitting in the capital

had already reaped dividends, Zhang said, with 50 yuan ($6.45) fines

only part of the city's armoury.

 

" The most important thing is not the amount of the fine but in China,

where saving face is so important, just the shame of being fined, "

she said.

 

" Random garbage disposal and spitting are not good for people's

health and so we must point out the hazards to them, " Zhang

added. " We must also tell them that this sort of behaviour is

something we should be ashamed off. "

 

China's " Mr Olympics " , He Zhenliang, said last year that " the rude

bus passenger " or " witness to an accident that fails to lend a hand "

were the biggest obstacles to hosting an impressive Games.

 

Zhang said that a " Civic Index " drawn up by Renmin University had

indicated an improvement of behaviour among the city's 15 million

citizens from 65.21 percent in 2005 to 69.06 last year.

 

" I'm confident that by next year ... with the help of the Beijing

people, the situation will be much improved and the number of people

littering and spitting will be much reduced, " she said.